Miggy sits out finale in Chicago with sore ankle

CHICAGO -- In the end, Brad Ausmus didn't wait long Sunday morning to decide whether to give Miguel Cabrera the day off. The rest of the road trip might be more of a waiting game.

After Cabrera left Saturday night's game a sore right ankle, the Tigers slugger was out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the White Sox.

"[Head athletic trainer] Kevin Rand had talked to him to get an idea of how he feels," Ausmus said. "It was based on that discussion. It's day to day. We'll see tomorrow."

Though Ausmus said Saturday night that sitting Cabrera for a stretch of days is an option, it's not the plan for now.

"I think it'll generally be a day-to-day determination," Ausmus said, "just because sometimes he comes in and it feels good, sometimes he comes in and it's aggravated."

The problem with sitting him for a stretch, beyond the absence it creates in the lineup, is that the benefit appears to be iffy at best.

"I don't know that it can be healed fully either until something is done about it or he has a complete offseason," Ausmus said.

With Cabrera out and sinkerballer Rick Porcello on the mound, Don Kelly started at first base, despite an opposing left-hander on the mound in White Sox southpaw Jose Quintana. Unless the matchups dictate otherwise, Ausmus said, Kelly is likely to start at first base on days when Cabrera is out. On days when Cabrera starts at designated hitter, Victor Martinez will start at first base.

Cabrera's situation will not factor into decisions on the Tigers' September callups, Ausmus said. The Toledo Mud Hens have a power-hitting corner infielder in veteran slugger Mike Hessman, owner of 28 home runs there this season, but the 36-year-old Minor League veteran is not on Detroit's 40-man roster.

"We have enough guys that can play first," Ausmus said.

Soria stretching out throwing sessions

CHICAGO -- Joakim Soria appears to be getting close to throwing off a mound in his effort to rehab from the left oblique strain that landed him on the disabled list three weeks ago.

Soria was not scheduled to throw Sunday after doing so on four of the previous five days. He's scheduled to throw again Monday in Cleveland, potentially progressing to throwing off the front of the mound. It's not a full mound session, but it's a step in that direction.

Ausmus said earlier this weekend that Soria still feels some soreness in the oblique near the end of his sessions, but that he's progressing further and further out in his throwing before he feels it. It's not full health, but the Tigers are taking it as progress.

The Tigers have been trying to fill Soria's role mainly with Jim Johnson, signed earlier in the month after being released by Oakland. The former O's and A's closer entered Saturday's nightcap in the eighth inning with a 5-0 lead following an Adam Eaton leadoff single off Blaine Hardy, but loaded the bases with an Alexei Ramirez double and Jose Abreu walk. All four runs scored, three of them on Dayan Viciedo's home run off of Joba Chamberlain.

Before that, the Tigers' bullpen had given up a lone earned run over its previous 19 1/3 innings, covering a seven-game stretch.

Moya, Lobstein part of September reinforcements

CHICAGO -- The reinforcements are coming. How much of an impact the September callups will make on the Tigers' postseason chances remains to be seen.

They include Eastern League MVP Steven Moya, the sweet-swinging right fielder whose 35 home runs and 105 RBIs in 133 games for Double-A Erie will likely draw attention in the big leagues upon his arrival Monday in Cleveland.

"He brings power," manager Brad Ausmus said of the All-Star Futures Game starter and seventh-ranked Tigers prospect according to MLB.com. "He brings that threat off the bench to hit the ball 450 feet, and he can hit it to all fields. Opposing teams, opposing managers have to be aware of that. Even if he doesn't actually get into a game, you have to know that he's there."

They also include Triple-A Toledo catcher James McCann, whose two-way game has drawn speculation for the past couple months as a potential option in Detroit.

"He's had a good year," Ausmus said. "He's very solid behind the plate. I've talked to [Mud Hens manager] Larry Parrish about him. LP really likes him, says we won't be disappointed in any way with how he works with pitchers. He takes a lot of pride in the defensive side of the game."

They include Mud Hens middle infielder Hernan Perez, an option at shortstop in Spring Training once Jose Iglesias was injured and again at midseason before Eugenio Suarez took over. Along with outfielder Tyler Collins, who made the Opening Day roster as an extra player before being optioned to Toledo for J.D. Martinez, they comprise the positional portion of the callups.

None of them figure to crack the starting lineup unless something unforeseen happens. That includes Moya, whose power at Double-A came with an aggressive approach that also produced 161 strikeouts and just 23 walks.

"It just gives us some options as we move through a game," Ausmus said.

Pitching-wise, left-handers Kyle Lobstein, Kyle Ryan and Robbie Ray will be recalled from Triple-A Toledo as expected. Lobstein will start Tuesday against the Indians, trying to follow up his six solid innings against the Yankees last Thursday in Detroit.

Ryan, who tossed six scoreless innings Saturday night to beat the White Sox, and Ray, who made a half-dozen starts in May and August, will work out of the bullpen for now.

"Lobstein's the fifth guy right now," Ausmus said. "We'll see how Lobber, how Kyle throws and we'll go from there."

The list does not include lefty Ian Krol, who began the year as Detroit's primary lefty reliever and pitched in 45 games. He ranked among the AL leaders in appearances when he went on the DL in mid-June with a tired arm, and never seemed to regain his form upon return.

Moya, Collins and Perez are scheduled to join the Tigers on Monday in Cleveland, along with Ryan, who never left after being optioned out Saturday night. Ray, Lobstein and McCann will join the team Tuesday once the Mud Hens' season concludes.

Of the seven, only McCann wasn't on Detroit's 40-man roster. To open a spot for him, the Tigers recalled right-hander Drew VerHagen from Triple-A Toledo and immediately placed him on the 60-day disabled list. Verhagen, out since mid-July with a stress fracture in his back, had been on the seven-day DL in the Minors.

Worth noting

The contracts of right-handers Jose Ortega and Justin Miller were outrighted to Triple-A Toledo.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.